Electric junction and outlet box.



NOL 848,994. PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

0. G. HOFFMANN & A. I. APPLETON. ELECTRIC JUNCTION AND OUTLET BOX.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.8, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Jf/orm ur No. 848,994. PATENTED APR. 2, 1907. Q. U. HOPFMANN & A. I. APPLETON. ELECTRIC JUNCTION AND OUTLET BOX.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1906. v

2 SHEETSSHEET z.

Altorneys y/W 2 06%! [NVENTORS UNITED STATES OTTO o. HOFFMANN, OF NEW YORK ATENLQT enrich.

N. Y., AND ALBERT IQAPPLETON, or

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO CHICAGO FUSE WIRE MFG. CO., OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Specifieationrof Letters Patent.

Patenteo April 2, 1907.

Application filed November 8, 1906. Serial No. 342,587.

To all whom; it may concern: I

Be it known .that we, OTTO C. HOFFMANN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, (whose post-office address is corner Vestry and Greenwich streets,) and ALBERT I. APPLEToN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Junction and Outlet Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to junction or outlet boxes such as are used in house-wiring and suited for the reception of electric switches, fuseblocks,.and similar appliances and also for receiving the terminals of the electrical cables, ends of the cable-conduits, &c.

The invention consists in means whereby such boxes are rendered extensible or adjustable as to length.

It also relates to adjustable means for support or means for securing box in difl'erent positions; and it also consists in a special plugging device for such apparatus or holes in the walls of the box as are not employed, and it also relates to other details appearing in the following specifications and claims forming a part hereof.

In different locations and in various structures where junction or outlet boxes are em ployed the switches or other appliances are required in different groups or groups of different size, and it is the purpose of the present invention to afford a structure which avoids the necessity of carrying in stock a great variety of sizes and permits a workman to make a box on the spot of the size required for any'special demand from a unit-- box by removing an end and inserting a greater or less number of unit-spacers and again attaching the end plate. Thus a simple stock of unit boxes and spacers suffice for all requirements and all the various numbers of appliances in any given group. To accomplish this and still leave the spacers as absolute duplicates is one of. the objects of this invention. a

The armored conduit, which is now almost universally demanded in interior wiring, must of course be brought to these outlet boxes, and the present practice requires that the be brought through the walls of the box am in many instances are attached thereto.

These conduits are located-in the wall and are brought to the outlet-box from almost any of a number of different directions, and

to provide for this emergency apertures are provided in either side, ends, or bottom and usually in all of these positions, but are seldom all used. The holes not utilized should of course remain closed and form practically an integral part of the wall of the box. Many devices have been employed to meet these conditions; but we have found that when boxes are made of cast metal with portions cast thin for removal to provide these holes the boxes are usually cracked or more or less broken up in the hands of the workman in the process of freeing the holes.

In'the case of wrought boxes attempts have been made to weaken the portions that are to form the outlet-holes by a process of partial punching; but it has been found that this process requires altogether too delicate adjustment to prevent punching clear through on the one hand,and stopping the punch, on the other hand, at a point where the; weakened portion may be capable of being removed at all, without undue force or hammering, which is found to bend the box and otherwise render it unfit for use. Again, attempts have been made to reinsert plugs that have been punched and swage them into position or otherwise secure them solidly in the .holes. To accomplish thisin such amanner as to render the plugs again removable has also been found to impose conditions that are difficult to accomplish, andas a matter of fact it is found that these plugs are almost incapable of removal by any ordinary means not involving the destructionv of the boxitself through the locking of the fiber,

during the process of swaging or by rusting solidly into position. Many attempts have been made to overcome this by making the plugs looser, in j which instance they are found to fall out in shipment and handling, especially while poundingthe other plugs.

After long experience in devising various means of effectually plugging the outlet holes in this class of boxes we have finally conceived of a plan which we have reduced to practice and find that it overcomes all the difliculties with the other forms of plugs, some of which We enumerate above, and this is to make theplugs slightly smaller than or ICC to easily pass through the holes and to secure the thickness of the metal and grasp the outer them in position by cementing, whereupon the problem at once reduces itself to the simple problem of securing a proper cement. Such cement is located between the periphery of the plug or filling-piece and the Wall of the box, as the plug is smaller than the hole and will otherwise pass through same. cement is preferably applied upon the insertion of the plugsand serves to hold them and also to prevent rusting or other undue a lherence to the wall of the box. We have, furthermore, found. that the peculiar preparation of the hole and plug also materially aids the end in View.

It is understood that these boxes are almost wholly used in fiushwork where the box.

itself is embedded in the wall of the building and may either come to the surface or approach the surface more or less closely. It

is to this end that we have devised adjustable ears or boxsupports which may have a the support of the box in any of its required positions. All these objects are obtained in the structure shown in the drawings, which are used simply to illustrate one form in which the present invention may be embodied, but is not intended to limit its scope.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a box consisting of two units, showing one corner in section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a unit which may become one of the ends of the group, showing one of the closed apertures in section. Fig. 3 shows an elevation at ninety degrees from that in Fig. 2, the po sition of the sectional portion of Fig. 2 being indicated by lines Y Z. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of an aperture closed by the plug cemented in position. Figs. 5 and 6 are details. Fig. 7 is an alternate form or retainer for the box-sections. Fig. 8 represents a plug for one of the perforations which has its lip flanged over, with cement under such lip.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughout.

By referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the unit-box consists of the U-shaped piece A, preferably stamped from sheet metal,

The.

lugs or ears, as shown at C, riveted or otherwise secured to the U-shaped pieces at or near the top on either side. The location of these lugs or ears is usually a trifle below the edge, as plainly to be seen in Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 illustratesone form of securing the spacer to the unit or other spacers, which consist in the strap D, secured to the spacer by suitable meanssuch, for instance, as the rivet d and extending over one of the faces, preferably the outer face of the unit A. assembling this extensible box after sufficient number of spacers A have been attached to the unit A the end piece'B, which originally was removed fromthe side of the unit A, is now secured to the last spacer and constitutes the end of the inclosure as a whole. Various methods of securing these portions may be employedsuch, for instance, as the screws B and the rivets (Z. (See Figs. 1, 2, 7.)

For the support of the box consisting of a unit A, with as many spacers A attached as necessary, lugs E are supplied on preferably diagonal corners, as shown in Figs. 1 and. 5, taken conjointly, and seen also in Figs. 2, 3, 6, or more cars or lugs may be used. The supporting-ears E are preferably adjustably secured to the box-for instance, by the slots shown at Figs. 3 and 6.

In comparing these two figures it will be seen that in Fig. 6 the ear has been reversed as to position of its L-shaped projection, and while in these positions it may be elevated or depressed at will, as is plainly seen in dotted lines in Fig. 2, where the L-shaped projection is turned so as to be above, where it is shown in two of its positions.

The method of bringing the electrical conwhich maybe located in thebottom, sides, or ends, as has been pointed out. These apertures are illustrated at If H, &c., and are filled by filling-pieces or plugs H. Al though these apertures and their fillingpieces maybe of any desired shape, the perimeter shown in the drawings has been found .ductors into the box are through apertures to possess certain advantages and is shown hole and the filling-piece, whereby the area ofcontact between them is considerably extended for the purpose of securing a firmer grasp upon the filling-piece through the rue-- tages. Either of these substances will prevent rusting.

In Fig. 8 there is illustrated a form of plug which is cemented not only at its periphery, as at M, but also under the flattened lip or head L. (Seen in section at M.) In this case the extended lip L of the plug H aids to prevent removal in one direction and the cement M under the lip still further aids in securing the plug and preventing rusting, as explained with reference to the peripheral surfaces of the plugs.

Figs. 1 and 3 show some of the apertures open, while Figs. 2 and 4 show the apertures closed with the filling-piece H, the latter presenting a sectional view so enlarged as to exhibit the layer of cement M between the surfaces of the filling-pieces H and the body A preferably applied upon insertion of the pieces H. The section of the lower corner of Fig. 2 is on lines Y Z, Fig. 3, Whereas the section showing the rivets d in Fig. l is upon lines W X, Fig. 2.

Attention is called to the fact that the ears a a have a considerable vertical dimension and the means of attachment-to the unit A or the spacerA, as the case may be, are preferably located at the bottom of one ear, whereas it is at the top of the other ear. (See Fig. 2.) This is found to considerably in- -crease the rigidity of the box. This is also number of duplicate spacers removably united, an. end plate on the unit and an end plate .removably attached to the last spacer constituting continuous inclosure: 6o

true of cover B.

Having thus described our invention, what we desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is i 1. In an outlet-box, a perforated casing, supporting-ears for such casing, the casing consisting of a unit comprising a variable number of spacers, removably united, an

end plate-on the unit and an end plate removably attached to the last spacer constituting. continuous inclosure.

2. In an outlet-box, a perforated casing, supporting-ears for such casing, "the casing consisting of a unit, comprising a variable .3. In an outlet-box, a perforated casing, supporting-ears for such casing, the casing consisting of a unit. comprising a variable number of spacers and separate end plates iconstitutinga continuous inclosure, the...

'unit and each spacer provided'with projections for attaching the electrical appliance covering the box, said projections being equidistantly arranged along said length of the complete box.

4. In an outlet-box, a perforated casing,

7 supporting-ears for such casing, the casing consisting of a unit comprising a variable number of U-shaped spacers removably united, an end plate on the unit and an end plate attached to the last spacer, constituting continuous inclosure, the means of uniting the spacers consisting of a device permanently secured to"'one edge of each of the arms of theU. i

5. In an outlet-box for electric distribution, a perforation in the wall of the box, a filling-piece for the perforation held in place by cement applied as described, acting in conjunction with an extended lip upon one end of the filling-piece.

6. In an outlet-box for electric distribution, a perforation in the wall of thebox, a filling-piece for the perforation held in place by cement applied upon insertion of the piece acting in conjunction with an extended ;lip upon one end of the filling-piece, and cement under the lip. i

7. In an outlet-box for electrical distribution, a perforated casing, the perforations being closed by filling-pieces smaller than the perforations and cemented into position, the said pieces having cylindrical faces, the cement being located upon such faces.

, 8. .In an outlet-box for electric distribution, a perforation in the wall of the box having an axially-extended eri hery, a fillingpiece for the perforation el in place by cement between such periphery and piece and applied upon insertion of the piece.

9. In an outlet-box for electrical distribution, a perforation in the wall of'the box, a

filling-piece for the perforation held in place by cement, both the perforation andm tlle piece being provided'with cylindrical faces,

the cement being located upon such faces and 1 to 

